Undercover Titans
by baringer
Summary: This story takes place in the DCU that existed before the New 52. It occurs immediately after the TITANS and TEEN TITANS series ended, and picks up several loose threads.


Roy Harper knew that eventually he would have to call Dick Grayson. It was number one on his "To-Do List." It's not like he had to report to Grayson. No; Dick was simply his oldest friend. Ollie may have been his mentor, but it was Dick and the Titans who remained his constant friends.

The problem was: he couldn't bring himself to do it. He couldn't simply pick up his phone and dial Dick's number. It was too much... too difficult.

"I'm still kinda new to these things," commented Joseph Wilson, snatching the phone from Roy's hands, "but even I know that you have to dial the number if you want to speak on it. Here. Let me do it."

Joseph William Wilson and Dick Grayson were best friends once. Sure, Joey could have been bitter. The thought did cross his mind sometimes: "Why didn't Dick do anything to help me? To look for me after my father abducted me from prison?" Thinking of that, Joey realized that he still had to deal with his criminal record. Sure, he wasn't responsible for what he did while he was influenced by the personas of all the people he'd possessed, but SOMEONE had to be. He was arrested and charged with the crimes, but never cleared of them. It was Deathstroke who had broken him out of prison, pretending to be a doctor to treat his physical deterioration.

Pressing the red button that canceled out the phone call, Jericho muttered, "Maybe not."

"You can't call him either, can you?" Roy smirked sadly, crossing his arms over his chest. Seeing Joey's sadness, Roy placed his hand on Jericho's shoulder. "S'okay, dude. We'll figure it out."

"So, you want to start a team, huh? Titans, right? Well, we have every right to use the name, but we can't just go out in public and expect people to believe we're the good guys. Not after all we've done lately." Joey shook his head and looked up at the blue sky and all its promise. Returning his gaze to Roy Harper, he asked, "So, do you have any teammates in mind?"

Grinning, Arsenal nodded and retrieved a notebook from his pants pocket. "I do indeed, my friend. They're Titans, just like us... and maybe some of them might've done some bad stuff, but some of them practically fell off the face of the earth. Some of them want to be incognito... you know: doing the hero thing without all the hoopla and publicity. That's what WE want." He started writing names in his notebook.

Joey realized Roy was right. They could still be heroes, but on the down-low... quietly helping people without attracting media or police attention. After all, a run-in with the cops was the last thing they wanted. It was in their nature to help people, and they couldn't give that up. Nor could they honestly take responsibility for the bad things that they did. After all, they weren't really themselves when they did it. "Who've you got?"

"Cody Driscoll. Goes by the name Risk. Had both his arms torn off by that Prime loser, but he's got alien DNA, so he healed from it pretty quick. No arms, but he's still super strong, super fast, and a super good guy. He got into some bad stuff for a while, but not nearly as bad as you or me."

"I don't think I ever met him. He's a Titan?"

"He's been a Titan longer than most of the so-called Titans we've dealt with lately." Roy underlined Cody's name. "Colorado. That's where we'll find him. He's back living with his mom, trying to lay low. I've worked a lot with him. We can count on him."

"Who else?" Joey was curious, hoping that Roy might mention some names he'd recognize.

"Toni Monetti-Argent. Her dad's a big drug kingpin, and he's in prison. She knows how that works, and I trust her. What about that winged guy, Azrael?"

"Azrael? I know him. You think he'd be willing to join us?" Joey was glad that Roy named someone he actually knew.

"Why not? Worst he can do is say 'no'. Besides, for someone who's pretty much an angel, he hides really well. He's got the incognito thing down-pat!" Roy bit the eraser on his pencil, thinking of others they could approach to join their Undercover Titans team.

"Donna's in the Justice League now, isn't she?" asked Joey. He looked curiously at Roy, whose eyes lit up.

"She hates it!" Roy exulted. "I know she does. She wants the whole world to forget about her. Well, why not? The world can forget about her, but she's still a Titan."

"You two have a past, together," Joey said. "I've worked with her a lot. You think there's a chance?"

"We'll have to be careful, but it couldn't hurt to ask." Roy wrote the name Donna Troy on the list. So far, he had written the names Cody Driscoll, Toni Monetti, Azrael, and Donna Troy. He sighed, thinking about the friends they've lost. "Too bad Lilith's gone." Shrugging his shoulders, he added, "We still gotta find more to approach. Titans that won't just haul us off to jail because of what we've done. Titans that'll join us because they want to help people, not because they want fame."

"Who else can we ask?"

"Miri! Miriam Delgado! She's Mirage. She joined the team after your dad... um... well, after he ran that sword through you."

"Ugh. Don't remind me. I don't EVER want to see Slade Wilson again." Joey shuddered when Roy referred to Deathstroke as his "dad". Slade Wilson was not a father figure at all to him. "Where's this Mirage?"

"We'll track her down. I got skills. And there's always Google." Roy added the name Miriam Delgado to the list, then remembered that Miriam had a daughter, Julienne. Thinking about Lian, and what happened to her, he shook his head. "No. She's got a kid. I won't let that... that... happen to anyone else. Ever." He crossed her name off the list, then scribbled it out even harder. "Never again."

"I heard that there was a new Terra...?" Joey looked curiously at Roy, looking for confirmation.

Roy nodded. "Good idea. She's got dark hair. Worked with Ravager and Argent and some others... when they were in that Terror Titans thing."

"You know her real name?" Joey was glad that he had come up with a name that Roy hadn't thought of.

"No idea. But maybe Toni can help us find her." He wrote the name Terra on the list, with a question mark after it. "That's Cody, Toni, Azrael, Donna, and Terra. "That's five names. I want to start off with at least ten. Odds are at least two of these will join us. I know I can get Cody and Toni to join, for sure. We can help each other. Cody and Toni are like my little brother and little sister. I gotta start off with them. Cody especially needs help right now." He looked at Jericho, then handed the notebook and the pencil to him. "Here. Your turn. Let's get five more names."

Joey put up his hands in refusal. "Raven? Gar? I don't know."

"All right then," Roy concluded, pocketing the notebook. He looked at his companion and raised his eyebrows questioningly. "Where do we start?"

Jericho looked upward at the slowly darkening sky as the sun set behind them. "I'd... I'd like to see some old friends first. Pay my respects." He looked at Roy pointedly. "One in particular. Kole. Kole Weathers. Do you know where she's, uh... buried?"

Roy looked aghast at his friend. "You realize that her body was never found, right? I mean, she was... she was... completely..." Roy did not know how to say it. He shook his head. "No body, no grave."

Joseph Wilson narrowed his eyes in thought. "So how do we know she's dead, then?"

"A while back the newest Brother Blood brought back several bodies from the dead... zombies, basically. She was one of them."

Again, Joey thought. He asked, "Undead? Wouldn't that require a body?" He shook his head. "Something's not right there. If she's dead, and her body's out there, it's our duty to find her and put her to rest properly. In fact, there's a lot of things we need to do properly that the other Titans never bothered with." He glared angrily at his friend, then down at the ground. "And we were always saying 'Titans Together' like we were some big happy family. What kind of family doesn't take care of their own?"

Roy put his hand on Joey's shoulder and assured him, "That's what WE will do."

-

Arsenal, Jericho, Argent, and Troia entered the high security prison hospital in Boulder, Colorado. With her contacts and their individual special skills and abilities, they were able to procure medical lab coats and equipment. Jericho, inhabiting the body of a prison guard that Arsenal had knocked unconscious, escorted the other three to the maximum security ward, where the more physically dangerous prison patients were housed.

Cody Driscoll, though remanded to the maximum security ward, presented no danger of trying to escape. He had been allowed to remain in his cell unshackled. Indeed, without arms to put shackles on, such a method of imprisonment was useless. He never went out into the prison yard to interact with other prisoners. The only interaction he had was when orderlies or guards came along to provide him his meals. All his meals were prepared shakes and smoothies, since he had to drink them through a straw. He controlled the television in his cell with a remote that he controlled with his toes.

When the guard that Jericho controlled opened the door to his cell and let them in, he did not even turn his head to look at them. The room smelled sterile, like bleach, and the only things in it besides the patient were the television, his bed, a toilet, and a bathroom sink.

"What?" demanded Cody. He had a prison-issue shirt draped over his shoulders, open in the front. He wore matching orange pants, and no socks. He rolled his eyes and turned after Argent coughed a few times. His eyes, glazed over with depression and boredom, slowly focused as he looked at his visitors. A look of surprise spread over his features and he started to smile, then his expression fell again. "You can forget the pep talk. They're not letting me out. 'Cheer up, Cody. We support you, Cody. We miss you, Cody.' I've heard it."

"We're not here to tell you that, Driscoll," said Roy Harper as he and the others neared Cody on his bed. Jericho stood watch by the door, which he had closed securely behind them.

"Cody, it's us. Come on!" Toni placed her hand encouragingly on Cody's leg, shaking him. He pulled away from her, and rolled over sideways on the bed.

"We don't have time for this," Donna huffed, pushing her way past Roy and Toni to address Cody. She reached her arms under the prone form on the bed and hefted him up. "Hi Cody," she said to the sputtering young man in her arms. "My name's Donna. I don't think we've ever met before, but we're all Titans here. It's time to go." She stood him on his feet and beckoned to the guard. "Bring the leg shackles, Joey."

"What's going on here?" demanded Cody, a curious smile creeping at the edge of his lips. "Are we... are we getting out of here? This wouldn't possibly be a prison break, would it?"

"No smiling, sweety," Donna insisted, pressing her finger to Cody's lips. She watched as Joey secured shackles to Cody's feet, then noticed his shirt. "Let me button that up for you." She lifted the shirt on his shoulders, and it fell back to reveal the stump of his right arm. She gasped in surprise, expecting to see the scarred stump that Argent had warned them about.

Cody's smile instantly faded, replaced with an embarrassed scowl. "What? Hurry up and cover it up." He looked sadly into her eyes and added, "Please."

Before the others could see, Donna quickly covered him up with his shirt and buttoned it all the way down. She nodded encouragingly at him, and stepped behind him.

"Let's go," Roy insisted, falling in behind Donna, Tony and Cody.

-

The Ozark Mountain foothills of West Virginia were green and lush with trees and animals. Deer, wolves, and bears alike shared the landscape. Hidden in the deep forest, led by a winding path up the hill from a mountain road, the Presbyterian Monastery withstood the weather. Wind and rain blew hard against the mountainside, buffeting trees nearly sideways in their fury.

It had taken a herculean effort for Asenal, Jericho, Argent, Risk, Minion and Troia to find Azrael, and their trail led them to the monastery. From the onset, Roy and Joey had first tracked down and recruited Toni, Donna and their third recruit was Cody. So far, all three had agreed to join the covert Titans team, for various reasons. Donna was still upset with Roy because of his recent decisions, but she trusted Joey, and she felt obligated to keep an eye on them both, to keep them out of trouble. When Toni joined them, and told them about what had happened with Cody, she realized that the Titans had let Risk down; almost betrayed him. He took the brunt of Superboy Prime's fury, and what did they do to help him? Nothing. Well, the motherly side of her would not allow Cody to rot in a prison hospital, and when she saw the vestigial arm growing from his scarred shoulder, she promised him to keep it a secret. His H'san Natall physiology was asserting itself, regenerating the lost limb. In time, both arms would be back. And when they started growing big enough to be noticed, she would allow him to tell the others then... in his own time.

Terra, the third costumed superhero to use that name, was glad to meet with Donna and Argent. Argent had met the mysterious geomorph before, and facilitated the meeting. She was honored by the invitation, but declined to join the team. She really did not feel that she had much of a history with the Titans, and chose instead to work alone, or occasionally with others. She promised she would be glad to help them out if the need ever arose, and if she was in the area, but told them, "Don't hold your breaths."

Miriam Delgado, whom they reached by phone, was in Brasil. Her daughter, Julienne, was just beginning second grade, and they were living with Miriam's mother and uncle. The older generation Delgados were glad to keep Julienne while Miri pursued her career as a costumed crime fighter, and she promised she would soon catch a flight up to the United States to meet up with them. She had just returned to Brasil after fighting off Superboy Prime and his Legion of Doom with the rest of the Teen Titans, and recalled seeing Argent there. "I'll be back soon. I promise: I'll call you when I'm back."

Donna was able to contact Jarras Minion using the Justice League's communication grid, who had patched her through to the few remaining Darkstars, who in turn connected her with Vril Dox and his Rebels. Princess Koriand'r, Starfire, was overjoyed to hear the voice of her old friend traveling over the interstellar communications, and-like Miriam-promised that she, too, would return as soon as she could. Earth, after all, was her home. Jarras was able to traverse the star systems and arrive in the Sol system, where the cloaked Tamaranean freighter dropped him off in the Sonora Desert of southern Arizona, where he was soon picked up by the Titans.

But Azrael was another matter. One would think an angel would be fairly easy to track down, but he wasn't. Their first thoughts were to check on the internet, for any unusual sightings or angelic visitations. They knew that Azrael was not an angel, but rather a winged alien... presumably the last of his kind. His memory was gone, and he had been psychologically abused by Brother Blood, so his mental state was questionable. He also was in love with Lilith Clay Jupiter, and they were certain that he was not likely to have taken the news of her death very well. That is, if he even got the news.

After the internet failed them, they each started looking through the tabloids, gossip magazines, and other sundry publications. Toni, a big fan of The Enquirer and the Weekly World News tabloids, knew of a place in Sarasota, Florida, where they could look through archived back issues. After two days' worth of drudging through nonsense stories about "The Bat Boy" and Sasquatches and UFO encounters, they came across something promising. The article was titled "Angel Saves Newlywed Couple from Bear Attack." The description-a man, long curly brown hair, purple eyes, muscular, very handsome, with huge white wings, and wearing a golden kilt-fit Azrael perfectly. The event had taken place in the Ozark National Park, somewhere in the West Virginia mountains. Donna, who had known Azrael when he had been on her team for a short while, deduced that the monastery he had taken the previous Brother Blood to was in West Virginia, and likely near where the newlywed couple had been chased up a tree by a hungry bear.

The Presbyterian Monastery did not welcome outside visitors, and indeed made it very difficult for anyone to find, but soon Donna, Roy, Joey, Cody, Toni and Jarras were riding a Ford S.U.V. up the mountainside.

"Anyone up for a hike?" asked Donna as Roy parked the truck and they all emerged. Rain poured down heavily on them, and they were all glad that Donna's motherly instincts had insisted that they all buy rain-slickers and heavy boots. She looked at the trail leading up through the trees from the mountain road. They parked on the side of the road, on a muddy area that worked as a makeshift parking lot. "From here, we'll take it on foot."

"Gah! No way!" wailed Argent, clutching the rain coat close around herself. She formed a blue plasma ramp that glowed brightly in the darkness. "I'm taking the high road!"

Cody head-butted her from behind. "Sure!" he said, sarcastically. "Why don't we just announce to the entire monastery that we're here? It's not like they wouldn't be able to see that. Duh!"

Jarras Minion sighed, looking up at the long, winding path up the mountain with dread. "It is times like this that I wish I still had my omegadrome."

Arsenal picked out some hiking gear, handed each of them a backpack with blankets, a tent, and food, locked the S.U.V., and soon the small group of six Titans were trudging up the dark, muddy mountain path, looking for an angel.

"Remind me again, please," whined Toni as she miserably trudged up the steep mountain path behind her friends, "why we're going after this Azrael dude?"

Donna, who brought up the rear-and several times had to prod Argent from behind to keep her moving-reminded her. "Azrael is a friend; a teammate. He's also someone who we haven't treated as well as we should have. He's been ignored for far too long, and we're here to let him know we still care about him." As an afterthought, she added, "And maybe see if he'll come with us."

"Come with us where, exactly?" griped Cody. Despite his lack of viable arms, he was having the time of his life trekking up the perilous mountain path. The rain still fell in sheets, causing them all to slip and lose their footing, but Cody Driscoll thrived in this environment. Several times Roy and Joey had to grab onto him to keep him from running ahead, or when he slid and nearly impaled himself on a jagged tree trunk.

Donna wrinkled her brow in thought. She, Joey and Roy had discussed amongst themselves a possible base of operations, but secrecy was of the utmost importance. They needed to remain under the proverbial radar... from the government, the Justice League, enemies, and possibly even their teammates. She smiled, knowing Cassie and her friends had Titans Tower in San Francisco, and that nearly all the Titans were welcome there. She, herself, as well as Argent and likely Jarras were welcome there, but Risk, Jericho, and Arsenal were definitely not. And that was her biggest problem: the Titans are FAMILY, and family does not turn their backs on each other.

"My studio," she muttered. Louder, she said, "I have a new studio. I just set it up, and I've got some employees." Seeing the interested and confused looks of the others, she explained. "I'm a photographer, but I figured I'd branch out and try my hand as a talent agent. There's this amazing little town in Texas... it's called Tyler... and it's perfect. It's big enough to be a city, and small enough that no one really knows about it. Perfect place to set up a business, and stay off the grid. I bought the property, and there's a great brownstone, plus a warehouse. There's more than enough room for us all. And more."

Jericho, whom Donna had informed about her new business, was surprised and encouraged. He had asked Donna if she would be willing to use her studio to help the team, and she initially had been hesitant. "Looks as if she's made up her mind," he quipped to Roy, slapping his friend's shoulder.

"Thank God," Roy laughed back as he led the way up the trail.

Trees and shrubbery gave way to an open field, and across it, on the other side, the monastery loomed against the darkened, rainy sky.

"It looks scary," remarked Jarras as the six Titans emerged from the forest.

"No guards?" asked Cody, scrutinizing the building on the other end of the clearing. Though it was a good mile across, his heightened senses allowed him to see much of what the others could not. "Nobody's around... at least, not outside. I can't see any windows." He squinted his eyes, then smirked. "Well, what's up? The welcoming committee's on his way!"

Slicing up through the rain, the lone figure of an angel arose from the monastery rooftop, soaring through the air and heading towards them.

Azrael's appearance was as majestic as he was imposing. Broad white wings spread outward from his shoulders, and a broad grin covered his face.

"Donna! Joseph! You cannot imagine how happy I am to see you!" He turned to the others. "I remember you all. We were all together when Victor returned to earth." Landing, he held out his arms in welcome to them. "You are Argent, are you not? And Risk?" He turned to the blue-skinned alien and looked questioningly at him. "I do not remember your name, but I certainly remember you. You gave up your... erhm... your machine... to help Victor."

Jarras, seeing that Azrael was welcoming them all and kind, strode forward. Before he could speak, he was grabbed up in the angel's warm hug. "Oof! Jarras Minion," he introduced, pushing back from the wet embrace.

Donna wasted no time in hugging her old friend, and when Toni saw that there was no animosity, joined her.

"Have you come to join me, my friends?" Azrael inquired, once he was done hugging the rest.

Cody, who truly felt uncomfortable being hugged by the winged man, winced. "We going back to Gargamel's hovel? Time to hunt smurfs?"

Argent thrust her elbow into Cody's stomach, making her sibling double over. "Idiot!" she hissed.

"What? That's the name of the cat... you know... on 'The Smurfs'. C'mon. It's funny!"

Azrael ignored the jibe, and continued looking at his friends, awaiting an answer.

"Well, bud," began Roy, looking nervously among his friends, "we're actually here to ask if you'll join us..."

"Either way, it matters not!" exulted the winged man. "I'm with you if you are with me. Together we can put an end to our problem here."

"What problem is that?" Joseph asked, startling Azrael. He had remained silent during the reunion, basking in the joy of seeing their old friend again.

"You were dead!" cried out Azrael in alarm, his eyes growing large as he looked back at his old friend. "And mute!"

"I got better," snickered Joseph, crossing his arms over his chest. The rain was starting to relent, but still fell continually on them. He looked up at the sky above, letting the water fall into his open mouth and eyes. "A LOT better. Now, what was it we're helping you with?"

"Poachers."

"Poachers?" echoed Roy, scratching his head. He snarled and rolled his eyes. "That's not a job for the Titans. Sounds like a job for the local authorities." He caught Donna's warning glare, and amended himself. "We'd be happy to help. What can we do?"

"Come with me, my friends!" Azrael turned and took once again to the air, flying back to the monastery.

"May I use my ramp NOW, Donna?" snarked Toni, grinning. Without waiting for an answer, she extended her hands and created a glowing blue plasma ramp that extended upward and toward the monastery. "All aboard! Next stop, creepy monastery and overly-dramatic angel guy!"

Dealing with poachers at the monastery might have been a full-time job for a gameskeeper, but the Titans made short work of it. With their combined abilities-super strength, agility, skill, and ingenuity, they were able to fortify existing fences and construct a sturdy perimeter fence that still allowed the wildlife to come and go. Of course, poaching was a problem that there appeared to be no solution for, but the Titans were able to minimize its impact on the property owned by the monastery.

Azrael was eager to accompany his friends. Donna and Joey were familiar to him, and he had met Roy, Toni, and Cody during the Technis Imperative incident. Jarras and he soon became good friends, and the blue-skinned alien enjoyed riding on the angel's strong back as they traveled.

Their destination was Tyler, Texas, and Donna's new studio. It would be easy enough for most of them to blend in. Azrael and Jarras would be the odd-men-out... what with the blue complexion of the one alien, and the other alien's massive wings.

"I have a solution for that!" informed Toni with a brilliant laugh as they gathered around a camp-fire that Roy had constructed. They were spending the night in a large forest outside of Atlanta, Georgia. Tomorrow would find them for sure in Texas, where they could begin their new lives.

The white-skinned superheroine known as Argent produced an economy-sized container of pancake makeup. She kept it and several other necessities in a large purse that she had brought along. "Come here," she said, leaning closer to Jarras as they sat side-by-side next to the fire. She removed a puff from the container and held it toward Jarras' face, getting ready to apply the makeup.

"What on earth is that?" he demanded, recoiling in terror from the makeup. "Is that a form of camouflage?" He fearfully glared at the puff in Toni's hand.

She laughed. "Of course! I can't go around looking like an albino icicle zombie. We'll be makeup buddies." She leaned forward again and soon had his face covered with the foundation makeup.

Roy leaned over to Joey and whispered, "I don't know if I'd be proud of calling myself someone's makeup buddy." Joey snickered and looked down so that Jarras would not have a reason to be embarrassed.

After working over Jarras, Toni applied the makeup to herself, and soon both appeared fully human; though Jarras would have to insist that his hair was intentionally blue. "People color their hair weird colors all the time," Toni explained, nonchalantly dismissing Cody's taunts about their friend's azure locks.

"At least your arms are growing back," snapped Toni, effectively silencing her brother.

Cody's face turned first white, then slowly red. He had meant to keep his deformity secret from the others. It was bad enough that Donna knew about it; he should have realized that their mental link would have informed Toni of it. However, before he could angrily retort anything, they both shared a moment of clarity.

"Oh... no..." Cody muttered, his blushing face returning to normal. His eyes growing wide, he and Toni stared at each other, then at Donna and the rest of the Titans.

"Isaiah and Audrey! They know!" Cody rolled his eyes back and stared up at the stars.

"They know?" asked Azrael, folding his wings around himself for warmth. "What do they know... and who are they?"

"Isaiah is Joto... or Hotspot... whatever he calls himself now," informed Toni, explaining to the small group of Titans around the fire. "Audrey is Prysm."

Donna's eyes lit up as she realized what Cody and Toni were on about. "You all have a telepathic link, don't you?" She nodded, understanding what was going on. "Thus, Isaiah and Audrey would be aware that you are no longer in captivity." She sighed, gazing at Cody. The young man had both his arms torn off, and then was remanded to custody for his poor choices. She couldn't blame him for what he had done... not after such a traumatic experience. She hoped that the other H'san Natall hybrids would be as accepting and understanding. "What about Fringe?"

"I don't think he's here," answered Toni slowly. "At least, not on the planet. Maybe he is. But I can't sense him."

Cody shook his head in assent. "Me neither."

"It'll be okay," Donna assured them both.

Roy and Joey had managed to pick up some burger patties, barbecue sauce, and buns at a grocery store that they had passed on their way, and were soon grilling a meal for them on a makeshift barbecue that Roy rigged up over the fire. In addition, Donna picked up some lettuce and vegetables, and with some disposable plastic bowls, they soon dined on burgers and salads. Argent thoughtfully created some artificial plasma arms that covered the miniscule arms that were reforming from Cody's shoulders, and he happily used them to enjoy his first hamburger in a long time.

"This is great," he said happily, sighing. He realized that the mental link that he and Toni shared with the others might eventually come up to haunt them, but he chose-for now-to enjoy what they had.

"This is delicious!" added Jarras, finishing his burger and reaching for another.

Azrael cast a pained look upon the others, and spoke. "I have never had a burger before."

"Whaa-a-a-t?" demanded Roy and Joey together. The two of them had grown as close as brothers, and seemed to share their own telepathic link. Roy opened up a bun and Joey stacked a beef patty on it. Layering it with lettuce, tomato, and barbecue sauce, Joey handed the burger to Azrael, who grasped it as he saw the others do. He cautiously bit into it and chewed slowly.

"Well?" asked Joey, a smile creeping upon his face.

Azrael smiled blissfully, swallowing the mouthful and taking another bite. The angel said nothing, but tore into the burger. Realizing what needed to be done, Roy and Joey continued making more burgers until the super-sized package was used up, and each of them had downed three burgers, as well as the tasty salad that Donna had prepared.

"Tomorrow," announced Donna as they all reclined on the soft grass of the clearing in which they picnicked, "Texas!"


End file.
